Conor McGregor: ‘I’ll close in around the $50 million mark’ for UFC 229

UFC president Dana White has massive expectations for the upcoming UFC 229 card. Expectations that are headed towards 3 million pay-per-view buys to be exact.

“The gate is going to be $17 million,” White told Yahoo! Sports. “There are going to be celebrities like you’ve never seen. I knew this was going to be massive, but it’s even blowing me away what this is doing.”

Of course, the company’s biggest star, and one of UFC 229’s headliners Conor McGregor is expecting to cash in big from these projected numbers.

“We’re estimating around 3 to 3.5 million (pay-per-view buys), I’d say I’ll close in around the $50 million mark,” McGregor told the media during the pre-fight press conference on Thursday. “So for a mixed martial artist – to make $50 million in a mixed martial arts bout, it’s quite breathtaking.”

McGregor was also in awe about how things had changed from merely two years ago when he fought Nate Diaz for the first time.

“To think where we have come from. When I fought Nate Diaz the first time, he was on $20,000 to show and $20,000 to win,” McGregor said. “The game has gone to so many new heights so quickly, and we’re all just trying to keep up and catch up. And it’s a great time to be involved in the sport for myself, for the fighters, for the promoters, for the managers, for the media in attendance, for the fans, for everyone.”

“Times are good, so let’s enjoy these momentous occasions.”

McGregor will be returning from a two-year layoff from mixed martial arts competition to try and reclaim the UFC 155-pound title from Khabib Nurmagomedov this Saturday, October 6th in Las Vegas.